Holes (Thorndike Press Large Print Literacy Bridge Series)
Author:
Genre: Children's Books
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genre: Children's Books
Book Type: Hardcover
I saw this movie again, which I haven't seen in years (!), so I thought I would give the book a try. I'm not really much into adolescent literature, but it was a fun, light read, and the movie was great - very faithful to the book. It also tackled some rather intense issues for a Disney movie (the murder of a black man for his romantic involvement with a white school teacher). It's one of the more popular books I've seen on GR: it has almost a million ratings and 20,000 reviews, so I'm definitely glad I got around to reading it.
Stanley Yelnats is convicted for the crime of stealing a pair of valuable sneakers, which were to be sold at a charity auction to raise money for a homeless shelter. He is given the choice of reform camp or jail, and chooses the former. Unbeknownst to him, however, this camp is no Girls' Scout Camp: it involves digging holes in the ground in the burning desert, to "build character," in the words of the imbecile guard. The first part of the book focuses on Stanley learning to survive in the harsh conditions, which involve not only the elements, but the other inmates of the camp. Eventually, however, he befriends another of the boys everyone calls Zero, and starts teaching him to read.
The sub-plot weaves some fantasy elements into the story, but rather seamlessly: as it turns out, Stanley's family is cursed, by an old, Egyptian gypsy who hexed Stanley's great grandfather, the first Stanley Yelnats (his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather), for stealing a pig and breaking a deal he had with her: the curse can only be broken by a descendant upholding the century-old bargain.
In the end, it's a good story about persistence, even in the face of persecution for a wrong you didn't commit. Even being the victim of a curse, things can turn out OK, and even great life challenges can help someone to learn and grow, and perhaps benefit, even if in unexpected ways, which is always a good lesson.
Stanley Yelnats is convicted for the crime of stealing a pair of valuable sneakers, which were to be sold at a charity auction to raise money for a homeless shelter. He is given the choice of reform camp or jail, and chooses the former. Unbeknownst to him, however, this camp is no Girls' Scout Camp: it involves digging holes in the ground in the burning desert, to "build character," in the words of the imbecile guard. The first part of the book focuses on Stanley learning to survive in the harsh conditions, which involve not only the elements, but the other inmates of the camp. Eventually, however, he befriends another of the boys everyone calls Zero, and starts teaching him to read.
The sub-plot weaves some fantasy elements into the story, but rather seamlessly: as it turns out, Stanley's family is cursed, by an old, Egyptian gypsy who hexed Stanley's great grandfather, the first Stanley Yelnats (his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather), for stealing a pig and breaking a deal he had with her: the curse can only be broken by a descendant upholding the century-old bargain.
In the end, it's a good story about persistence, even in the face of persecution for a wrong you didn't commit. Even being the victim of a curse, things can turn out OK, and even great life challenges can help someone to learn and grow, and perhaps benefit, even if in unexpected ways, which is always a good lesson.
